Ferrari 849 Testarossa: ‘it puts a smile on your face’

Most new mid-engined supercars are now plug-in hybrids, said The Telegraph, and in 2019 Ferrari launched its own: the SF90 Stradale. “Not many people loved it”, however: though it was extremely fast, it had rather a “digital feel”, and failed to deliver the “visceral analogue experience” that buyers of high-performance cars tend to want.

Ferrari evidently took note – and now it has launched the 849 Testarossa, “which shares the layout and most of the technical specification” of the SF90, but is, according to Ferrari, “much improved”.

Originally two separate words, “Testa Rossa” was first applied to Ferrari’s formidable sports racers of the mid-1950s and early 1960s, said Evo.

The styling of the 849 is “divisive, but there’s no question it puts a smile on your face when you swing open the door and drop into the driver’s seat”. Steering is “light and free”, and the ride “never feels less than firm”; the car has a “bumpy road mode”, too, which takes the edge off “lumpy” roads. And though it’s a big car, “it feels compact and wieldy”. According to Ferrari, the top speed is 205mph, and it’s quick out of the blocks, taking 2.3 seconds to hit 62mph; total power is 1036bhp.

The new Testarossa also has “the biggest turbochargers ever fitted to a Ferrari production road car”, said Top Gear Magazine, and the 4.0-litre engine is “vastly changed” from the one in the SF90, with titanium fittings used throughout, “better cooling” and various other improvements. And though it is technically a “heinously complicated” machine, it makes for an “intuitive driving experience”. It adds up to a “scintillating” car that’s a joy to drive on both road and track.